Tag Archives: gourmet spice blends

Spiceology Broadens Your Kitchen Curriculum

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Spiceology's Raspberry Chipotle adds sweet heat to a chocolate mochi donut.
Spiceology’s Raspberry Chipotle adds sweet heat to a chocolate mochi donut.

They look like jars from a chemistry set. But have no fear; the only explosions these will set off are ones of thunderous flavor.

Get to know Spiceology, a Spokane company that sells more than 300 spice blends.

It was founded in 2013 by food blogger Heather Scholten and Chef Pete Taylor.

The spices are available in single jars of varying sizes or in select variety collections. I had a chance to try the latter when the company sent me a sample of its “Ultimate Rub Collection” ($64.95) that features 12 mini jars of its best-selling blends.

It includes some really creative ones such as Raspberry Chipotle, a mix of brown sugar, chipotle, raspberry, paprika, cumin, mustard, and salt that is sweet, woodsy, and has a good kick of heat.

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SugarRoti — An Explosion of Flavor In Every Packet

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A tuna sandwich to end all tuna sandwiches -- thanks to SugarRoti's Fish Nu Spice blend.
A tuna sandwich to end all tuna sandwiches — thanks to SugarRoti’s Fish Nu Spice blend.

I just ate one of the most delicious tuna sandwiches I’ve ever had — all thanks to Oakland’s SugarRoti.

This new, women-owned company that opened during the pandemic makes 15 different, single-use Indian spice blend packets of mostly organic ingredients.

The $8.99 packets are an especially convenient alternative to buying a host of separate spices that end up as half-filled jars gathering dust in your pantry.

The company was co-founded by Bina Motiram and Dana DuFrane, who met in the corporate world before deciding to join DuFrane’s passion for design with Motiram’s for cooking.

The spice blends, sold in compostable packets, are each designed to work with a specific ingredient, such as beef, chicken or eggs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t mix and match, according to your own whims. For guidance, each packet comes with a simple recipe on the back. More recipes can be found on the SugarRoti web site.

The spice blends come in one-use packets.
The spice blends come in one-use packets.

Just note that the spice blends need to be toasted or heated to fully bring out their flavors and aromas. They are not necessarily designed to be used as rubs on meats because many of the blends contain whole spices.

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Perk Things Up with Spice Tribe

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Spice Tribe's Porcini Paradiso blend coats smoked duck incredibly well.
Spice Tribe’s Porcini Paradiso blend coats smoked duck incredibly well.

You know shelter-in-place is getting to us when even a few chefs admit they are sick of cooking at home now.

So rev up your cooking with some new small-batch spice blends with global flavors.

Chef and world traveler Trent Blodgett was inspired to found the San Francisco company, Spice Tribe, after exploring countries from Thailand to Haiti, and marveling at the unique aromas and tastes of each place’s cuisine.

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